Thursday, November 26, 2009

*To be a poetHas the advantage of appreciation for it all Any disturbing event, demented person, devastating emotionNeed not be feared because you Know they become fodder for the Soul, fertilizer for yourGarden of verse, the magic ingredient for turning regretInto shared invective, humorous insight, or positive prayer which fills theVoid, impacts a life, or transforms an ugly viewInto the glimpse of magnificence for at least aNanosecond, so when that turkey takes it place at the table Give thanks for the meal of the moment and the presence of poetry, more filling than pie*

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Think of how to make peace the motto of every nationHarbor the destitute, even in tarnationAdmit love free entry without hesitationNever forget those who sacrifice on our behalf, the one at his lonely stationKneel in awe of creationSubmit to the will of the Creator, seek His good estimationGrant freely the gift of love, art, and orationIndulge the child in all you encounter, make laughter contagionVisit joy upon the needy in any regionInstruct with patience and truth in every interactionNeed the company of family and friends, cherish each relationGive thanks for every day of life and its bounteous blessings, relish benefaction.*

Thirty five years ago I was seventeen Having smoked a huge joint, I stumbled upstairs Anesthetized, I sat down at the upper-white-middle-class blood-bath, Nobody noticed my reddened eyes or sneer, or lack of slaughter celebration Kindred spirits bandied about on both flanks, my furrowed brow intensely taught Should we all sit here silent, while napalm is dropped on the Vietnamese?

God help us, if only I could speak my mind I wanted to make a point, perhaps we could re-examine our American way, Vying for attention, craving to be seen and heard, I whistled and clapped I stated I would not eat a morsel, we're heretics; we should be ashamed Not for another moment should we carry on this way, condoning savagery "Good fucking night," my father responded, "Are you stoned again?"*

Thursday, November 19, 2009

*They weren’t fromHere. They were illegalAliens who wouldNot speak our language. TheyKnew not the GreatSpirit. Said their God of wetbackIsland had forVirtue of his elect, promisedIndigenous land to them and so ourNative land was taken away and thanks they nowGive in their churches and curses in our casinos.*

Sunday, November 15, 2009

*Tall gallows with Puritan preachers presiding in New EnglandHanging my pale Ancestor for talking to birdsAdmitting to myself that the DNA test only verified what I sensedNative blood in me could have been from the tribeKilled the year after feeding Pilgrims(Small-pox infested blankets came later)Gouging out eyes of white women called WitchesInvoking the name of the Lord to justify itVictorious Christians vanquishing Natives and PagansIncorrect stories and assumptions aboundNo Pagans killing Natives, I bet, though they were whiteGrateful to know the truth enough to honor all shades of my Ancestors*

Rules for Thanksgiving Poetry Contest

PREMISE: Submit an acrostic poem using the word THANKSGIVING to fit the theme of giving thanks by November 26th, 2009 with an electronic payment of $11.26 via http://paypal.com to kingfisher1031@charter.net (paste poem into message box or send in a separate email). If your poem is chosen the winner you get 100% of the contest money submitted.

EVERYONE WHO ENTERS will get a copy of the chapbook that will be created featuring all of the poems entered in the contest. All entrants will be invited to read their poems and the winner will be announced on November 28th, 2009 between 3 and 5pm inside the backroom of the Santa Catalina Branch of the Pasadena Public Library on 999 E. Washington Blvd.

ALTERNATE PAYMENT METHOD: If you have trouble using PayPal, email me at kingfisher1031@charter.net for a mailing address to send in payment by either check or money order for your emailed entry.

VOTING: Positive comments on each poem will be a 100% factor in choosing the winning poem. So tell your friends to comment...limit one comment per person per poem. Deadline to make a comment is 11:26am PST on November 28th, 2009. Oh, and you'll need to sign up with Google in order to be able to make comments, but that's totally free and also enables you to create your own Blogger websites (which this is), utterly free as well.

Your Contest Organizer

MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles, listed on Poets & Writers, founder of POETRYpeople youth writing workshops; publisher of the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly; leader of the Emerging Urban Poets writing and Deep Critique workshops; and host of the Saturday Afternoon Poetry reading series in Pasadena, California. Mr. Campbell has taught Creative Writing in the Upward Bound program at Occidental College and been a Guest Teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District for 31 years. Want a poet in your classroom, library, bookstore, coffeehouse, or event? Please email: poetrypeople@charter.net